The Alaska Native Sisterhood Association – or ANSA – wrapped up a three-day Native art class for Wrangell children Aug. 3. About 20 kids gathered to learn the traditional artform known as formline, the art of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes of Southeast Alaska.
“They’re fun to work with,” said Ron Fairbanks, an art teacher in Craig, who taught the class. “I just had a little guy come up to me now and say ‘this has been the funnest three days of my life.’ I just thought that was awesome. So it’s been really good.”
They used formline’s shapes known as ovoids and trigons, arranged in spatially conscious ways to depict salmon heads, bears, eagles and other wildlife.
Aleah, 14, used thick red and black painted lines depicting an eagle hovering above a bear to make her piece.
“I did an eagle and a bear head and added other stuff onto it,” Aleah said.
Traditionally formline would be painted on a canoe paddle or clothing. But, this time it’s on a skateboard.
“I really enjoyed that medium of putting artwork on something you could ride, something contemporary, something new and can engage the kids with it,” said Fairbanks. “It really seems to hook them as a fun way to put formline on something you can use.”
Tis Peterman of ANSA said the goal of these grant-funded classes is to engage kids in Native art and culture.
“In fact, one of our students went to the dentist this morning and they wanted to buy his skateboard, and it’s not even finished yet,” Peterman said.
ANSA has put on other classes such as skin-sewing and beading, Peterman said. The association has one more month of funding to put on another class for kids and are still looking for ideas.
